Plymouth responds to Great Halifax Explosion of 1917 with relief for Nova Scotia

Wednesday

Dec 6, 2017 at 10:00 AM

All eyes were focused on the harbor that day. It was a big mistake.

By David KindySpecial to the OCM

All eyes were focused on the harbor that day. Thick black smoke billowed from an old freighter, and nearly everyone in Halifax, Nova Scotia, gazed in awe at the spectacle. They lined the shore and pointed. Children gathered at the windows of their school while adults gawked from their homes and businesses on that cold Dec. 6, 1917.

It was a big mistake. In an instant, everything changed as the largest manmade explosion of the pre-atomic era shattered the port. Laden with 6 million pounds of high explosives, the smoldering French munitions ship Mont Blanc detonated and a two-mile section of Halifax harbor was leveled – like a sharp scythe through ripe wheat. Most of those who moments before were staring at the smoky sight were cut down too. Those too close to the blast simply vaporized; others were thrown hundreds of yards by the force of the detonation.

The Great Halifax Explosion occurred 100 years ago, and the news rocked the world. In Plymouth, people were stunned. They had been shocked by reports of battlefield slaughter in Europe during the Great War – but this, this was far worse. These were innocents who were instantly killed or horribly maimed by an atrocious stroke of fate.

“In 1/15th of a second (less time than it takes to blink), the blast made 25,000 people – almost half the city – homeless, wounded 9,000 more and killed 2,000. It created the world’s first mushroom cloud, sent people flying a quarter-mile in the air, and spawned a 35-foot tsunami, which drowned many of those who survived the initial blast,” writes author John U. Bacon in a new book about the disaster, “The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism.”

Plymouth was horrified by the news. “A great wave of sympathy swept over this community when news of the horror reached here a week ago,” reported the Old Colony Memorial on Dec. 14, 1917.

The Plymouth Choral Society, under the direction George Sawyer Dunham, quickly planned a concert to raise funds to aid the homeless, destitute and orphans of Halifax. The Plymouth Philharmonic agreed to participate and use of the Old Colony Theatre was donated.

Like so many tragedies, the Great Halifax Explosion was the result of a comedy of errors – except the outcome was anything but funny. The ship Mont Blanc was not even supposed to be in Halifax. She had been loaded in New York City but was too slow for regular convoys, which were used to avoid German submarines, so she was ordered to Nova Scotia with hopes of finding another means of getting to France with much-needed explosives for the war effort.

The Mont Blanc had the misfortune of arriving in Halifax just as the harbor closed for the night on Dec. 5. Metal nets were stretched across the narrow harbor entrance to keep out enemy submarines. On the other side was the Norwegian freighter Imo, which was anxious to get to New York City and pick up relief supplies for Europe. Both captains were impatient to complete the next leg of their journeys.

When morning came, both ships started through the entrance at virtually the same time. They collided at slow speed and the Mont Blanc, which was laden with extremely volatile high explosives, including aviation fuel, caught fire. The crew, realizing the danger, abandoned ship.

The people of Halifax saw the smoke and started staring at the scene. Most had no idea that the burning ship was a time bomb with a short fuse. Crewless, the Mont Blanc drifted toward the docks and then erupted in a brilliant, blinding flash.

Ten miles from Halifax, the hospital ship USS Old Colony was rocked by the shockwave. Harold T. Flavell of Hanover wrote home to tell how he and other crewmen were thrown off their feet by the repercussion of the blast.

Ashore in Halifax, the devastation was complete. The blast, shock wave and tsunami had wiped away entire neighborhoods and businesses. Dazed survivors couldn’t even find their homes because everything was flattened. Veterans who served in the Great War said it looked worse than anything they had seen on the Western Front. Windows were broken some 50 miles away while vibrations were felt 250 miles from the epicenter.

Massachusetts was the first to respond to the disaster. As telegrams flew around the world with news of the disaster, leaders in Boston quickly responded by assembling a cadre of medical teams and supplies for the relief of Halifax. Within hours, a train was dispatched with 100 doctors, 300 nurses and $1 million (about $20 million today). It raced through a blizzard to aid those in distress. Dozens of ships would be sent with assistance as well.

In Plymouth, residents responded similarly. They were shocked to learn what had happened and felt compelled to do something “for the benefit of those who have been left destitute by the explosion of the French munition steamer, Mont Blanc.”

It was decided that a “grand concert” would be performed by the Plymouth Choral Society. G. Herbert Clarke, founder of the Plymouth Philharmonic Orchestra, quickly volunteered the services of his organization, and Charles Moning, owner of the Old Colony Theatre (now the Landmark Building) on Main Street, donated the use of his facility.

George Sawyer Dunham, the renowned director of the Plymouth Choral Society, put together a program designed to appeal to local choral aficionados in 1917. It included “Jerusalem” from Gounod’s “Gallia” with a solo by Alice Radcliffe, “Sanctus” from the St. Cecelia Mass with a solo by Paul C. Smithson, a trombone solo by Alfred Cobb, other choral and orchestral music, and a selection of Christmas carols. It ended with a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“The soloists will include our very best local talent and the chorus will be largely augmented for the occasion,” wrote the Old Colony Memorial on Dec. 14, 1917. “This means real music, not a perfunctory rendering of so many numbers at a fixed price, but an expression of genuine human sympathy and a desire to help those who have been so terribly unfortunate.”

The concert was held Sunday, Dec. 23, to what was likely a sold-out audience. The proceeds, along with other donations made by townspeople, were sent to those suffering in Halifax.

It was a time of sacrifice in Plymouth and across the country. America had entered World War I earlier that year and people were expected to buy Liberty Bonds to support the troops. In addition, many requests were made by the Red Cross and other agencies to ease the misery of refugees in Europe. Still, Plymoutheans dug deep and purchased tickets to the concert or otherwise contributed to help those in need during a time of turmoil.

“Plymouth is certainly keeping up her reputation for generous responses to worthy objects, and we can all be proud that this is so,” stated the Old Colony Memorial.

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